Status
Not open for further replies.

Michling87

New member
Joined
Jan 14, 2016
Messages
2
Reason
Relative
Diagnosis
00/0000
Country
US
State
OH
After spending 2 years getting CT Scans and Neuro tests with no answers at Cleavland Clinic we finally had it and went to a local doctor.


It was very frustrating to hear the new doctor say she is willing to bet her car my wife did not need these tests but anyhow... She quickly diagnosed her with fibromyalgia. (It shouldnt of been a surprise I guess since my wifes grandmother also has it)


HERES MY QUESTION.


My wife has been taking some type of generic cymbalta and while I surely recognize that she seems to be in less pain less often she still has a few days a week where she would rate her pain at a 5/10 and sometimes even 7 or 8/10.

So, is the cymbalta working as good as it should? Her doctor seems to think the treatment is working because she is not always in a 10/10 pain 5-6 days a week...which I am very thankful for but should we be looking for other types of treatment?
 
Hi Michlings87...how nice to have a husband on here and how nice it is your wife has your full support.

The thing with fibro is nothing takes all the pain away all of the time and while 5/10 is not a good way to live but for others that would be a brilliant reduction.

Medication is kind of trial and error for us fibro people and what works for one has less or no impact on pain for another.

There are so many different medications from anti depressants for sleep pain reduction and relaxation..anti epileptics for neuropathic pain and opiates for reduction in pain perception....but then you have to consider the side afffects from all these powerful drugs.

Maybe keep a diary of what causes the pain to flare if its obvious,,like over doing it or poor sleep or if its just the random bad days we wake up to.

I wish you and your wife good luck on your journey to making her health your life together as good as possible
 
Keeping a pain diary is an excellent idea to help you find out what makes the pain worse. My normal is a 4/5 of 10 on my best days, climbing to 8 of 10 on bad days, and occasionally over the top. Everyone seems to experience symptoms differently. If your wife is getting this much relief with a single medication, I'd say hooray and look at diets, supplements and gentle exercise for more improvement.
 
When I started my pain diary it did depress me more so than I thought it was worth at the time. My doctor and husband encouraged me to tough it out a little longer and I did and I am so very glad I did. What can be learned from such a simple exercise is amazing. I thought I knew exactly what was exacerbating the fibro and although I was correct, I was startled to see a pattern emerging. In addition to tracking the pain, my husband had me jot down other facts like the weather (humidity, pressure. ..), what I ate and when, my exercises I did, and so forth. What we discovered is that I could minimize excess pain just by better choices in food, exercise and regardless of how "good" I was feeling...regularly resting. Now, it is not a miracle worker but it is a way to take some control back from such a nasty affliction. I still have extremely bad days even when watching what I do or have but I imagine it would be even more so if I didn't. I truly hope it helps you guys. Getting the right "drug cocktail" is a long process Mitchling87...hang in there.
 
Welcome.hmmm no one with Fibro is ever pain free.thats something u need to remember.
If she's doing ok then stick with it.
There are other drugs she can try ,but if she's coping then I'd stay where u are for now. ��
 
Michling87 I too am taking Cymbalta and it was helping but I still had a lot of pain. My doctor added gabapentin 100mg 3x a day. It has helped the pain so much I can't believe it! I hope this helps good luck!
 
It is quite good that Cymbalta is working in your situation since some patients complain of poor results. Its also a good thing to attempt to wean yourself off chemical medications so as not to develop resistance or dependency. You can opt for other interventions like diet free of caffeine, dairy and eating plenty of foods and veggies. Deep heat massages and use of the U Comfort pillow as well as hormone therapy and exercises yield great results.
 
Some people report favourable results with some drugs while others rate poorly. I have seen many people who dont respond to Cymbalta or Lyrica but respond well to hormone therapy by taking 5-HTP and SAMe. There is also another high performance drug which I will talk about in due course that is a slow release painkiller. The best approach is to adjust to non chemical interventions whenever possible.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top